A Recollection of Us
by musicbox's will
Summary: -SK- AU! Of All The Things That Could Possibly Happen remake. Due to an accident that happened a few years ago, Kairi doesn't remember Sora. And Sora? He's stayed away for as long as he can. What happens when they bump into each other in the music room? Will Kairi ever remember Sora?
1. introduction - rain

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**_

_Recollection_

_introduction - rain_

She shivers in the rain. It's enough to make him want to take off his jacket and hold out his umbrella to her, but he doesn't. He walks away. It's not like they know each other anyway, right?

(But they used to.)

The girl stares at the boy. He has such a beautiful smile and sometimes that smile gets to her. She doesn't know exactly _why_ but it does. It's like a memory she's forgotten. She tries not to dwell on it.

(She does anyways.)

One time they find themselves staring at each other. The boy's the first to turn away. She's disappointed for a reason she can't quite place.

(He wishes he hadn't looked away.)

When they bump into each other the next time, it's in the music room. He's singing and she can't quite help but be mesmerised by his voice. There's so much hurt in it and she wonders why because it shouldn't be like this. Why is his voice so sad when he has such a beautiful smile?

(She wishes she could talk to him.)

It's raining again and she can't get these voices out of her head. Is she going crazy? Then the flashes come. A smile. A bracelet. A crash. It feels painful. All these memories. She doesn't want to remember. She shakes her head and continues walking.

(She's not ready to remember.)

She's snuck into the music room again. Too bad she can't sneak out as quietly as she came in. Books go flying and she lands on the floor in front of him. He smiles a dazzling smile and helps her up.

"I'm Sora."

"Kairi."

Somehow this feels familiar.

She takes his hand and smiles.

Maybe they could be friends.

(He grins at his hand the whole day. Riku notices.)

-complete-

_**Author's Note: I was wondering how to start this when I started thinking of rain and then it just went from there. This is supposed to be a remake of Of All The Things That Could Possibly Happen, but I don't know if I should continue this. Tell me if I should or shouldn't. If not, I'll just leave this as complete. If I should, well, I guess I'll continue this and we'll see what happens from there. :) **_

_**Originally, musicbox**_


	2. one - a child's footsteps

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**_

_**A/N: Please enjoy and don't forget to review! **_

_**Originally, musicbox**_

_A Recollection of Us_

one - a child's footsteps

"He's cute, isn't he, Kairi?" Naminé whispers into her ear.

Kairi swats at the blonde's arm. "We are _not _going down this road again. First Seifer, now him?"

"Maybe you just have a thing for boys whose names start with an 'S', Kai," Naminé teases.

Kairi takes a sip of her drink and sighs. "_Sureee_," she says sarcastically, "what about you? Who's the new boy-toy this time? Roxas, is it?"

Naminé had a habit of being flighty. First it was the cute boy in her art class then it was the cute boy in her history class then the cute boy in her math class. Did she mention they were all cute? It was never-ending with Naminé. The girl simply couldn't be pinned down to one boy. It irritated Kairi at times, but what could she do? Forbid Naminé from having crushes? No way.

"Shush, or he'll hear you," Naminé says, shooting a look at her friend.

Kairi laughs and wiggles her eyebrows, but complies. She instead thinks of Sora. Did she like Sora? They'd only just met a day ago. No, she shakes her head. She doesn't. That's too fast. Even for her. Still, there was something familiar about him. Maybe they'd seen each other at the mall some years ago?

"How're the triplets?"

"Don't get me started," Kairi groans. "Yuna's all worried about college and her boyfriend, Tidus. Olette's been dying to ask Hayner out and Selphie? Well, Selphie just out there being Selphie."

They're at the Paopu Parlor, hottest place to be in Destiny Islands. The two girls come here often as a reprieve from high school and the rest of their problems.

"I see. Yuna's still with that dunce?"

"I know. She could do so much better, but as long as he makes her happy I don't really care." Kairi shrugs and takes another sip of her drink. "How's life on your part?"

Now it was Naminé's turn to groan. "Gross." She crinkles her nose. "Mom says if I don't pull up my grade in math then she'll pull me out of art. Art! My one true calling!"

Kairi giggles. "Well, I could help you with that. I'm a math whiz."

"Who says 'whiz' anymore? You're so old, Kairi."

"What? You're older!"

The girls laugh before saying their goodbyes and heading home.

* * *

Kairi stares out from the balcony. It's beautiful; all the colors swirling together to make a sunset. The trees sway in the wind and Kairi begins to wonder. She always wonders at times like this. First, she wonders about her past. What was she like before the accident? People tend to say she was different. Different how? She desperately wants to know. They always sound so disappointed when they see her. _"You're so different," _they say, shaking their heads. Was she more foolish? Bossy? Friendly?

Kairi sighs and closes her eyes and thinks. This was one of the reasons why she didn't want to remember. It was like she was competing with her past self and she despises the feeling.

She remembers waking up in the hospital bed and hearing the words, _"You've been in an accident." _The walls had been white. Too white. She remembers wanting to scream and scream and scream. She didn't know why, she just did. Kairi puts her chin in her hand.

Reason number two; it was painful to remember. The flashes, or rather, the memory rushes, always made her head hurt. She stopped trying to remember after the first memory rush. It's easier this way.

The girl sighs and thinks back on the first time she ever saw Sora.

It'd been a windy day. Kairi knows because she had to walk home that day. She'd seen him walking with his friends, laughing, and she swears her heart stopped. He was beautiful. But she didn't have a crush. Of course not. That was silly. She turned the other way after that and went on with her day.

Kairi smiles at the memory and then heads inside.

* * *

A notebook falls from the very top of her bookshelf. It looks unfamiliar. Kairi picks it up and dusts it off. Curious, she opens the front page and gasps.

Out falls a picture of her and Sora. She looks at the picture for what feels like hours. She memorizes the way she looks and Sora's smile. Somehow, he seems happier. But this didn't make any sense. Did she know Sora before the accident? No, that's impossible. She'd remember someone like him.

Kairi opens the notebook skips to the last entry.

_June 06 _  
_I'm going to tell him. Sora says it's a bad idea, but when has he ever had a good idea? I just hope Seifer accepts my feelings._

_Love always,_

_Kairi_

Ew, why did she ever like Seifer again? And Sora? They might've been friends. No, she shakes her head and reminds herself it's impossible.

Kairi flips to the first entry.

_December 31_

_I've already filled up my other journals so Mom bought me a new one! Yay! I can already tell I'm gonna write in this lots. The problem with these notebooks is that Selphie always tries to read them. Grr._

This sounded so...so...juvenile. How old was she when she wrote this? Kairi turned to the first page. It read 2013. So she was thirteen then? Huh. She doesn't remember much of anything from her childhood. She turns back to the first entry and keeps reading.

_Selphie if you read the rest of this book I'll drop kick you. I'm serious. I will._

_Sora says he'd like to read this once I'm done, but I won't let him. This is my personal diary for a reason. It's not like it's a story or anything. Anyway, I'm done for now. Hopefully, the next time I get a diary it has a lock on it so no one nosy enough can look through it._

_Love always,_

_Kairi_

She closed the book. No. This isn't real. This can't be real. Were there anymore journal entries? More books? She was almost afraid to look. What if they stirred up memories within her? She didn't want that.

_"Kairi, watch this!"_

_"Don't climb that S-! It's too high!"_

_"How could I ever love someone like you?"_

The memory rush. It was starting again.


	3. two - letters to no one

_**Disclaimer: I don't own KIngdom Hearts**_

_**A/N: So, I was in a class doing nothing for three hours. What better way to spend those three hours than writing. I'm lame. I know. This was a pain to type because I wrote most of it by hand. Here's chapter two. Don't forget to review!**_

_**Originally, musicbox**_

_A Recollection of Us_

two - letters to no one

"So they've met again?" Riku asks. "How? I thought Sora avoided her like the plague."

"Well," Naminé starts, "she bumped into him."

"Music room?"

"Music room."

Riku laughs. "He says he's not sentimental yet still goes to that music room."

"I know, right? Same goes for Kairi. She's kept all her journals from before the accident, but acts like they mean nothing to her."

Riku's eyes widen. "She kept them all?"

"Yup."

"But she has, like, ten of those notebooks."

"Mm-hm. She used to be such a prolific writer too. I still have that one story she wrote about everyone." She smiles fondly, thinking of it.

"You mean the one where everyone has superpowers?"

"Right on the money," she says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I need to read it again. It was hilariously cringy."

"I could send you a copy if you'd like."

"Please."

Riku and Naminé share a smile.

"Wanna try setting the two of them up?"

"Of course."

* * *

This is Naminé and Riku's doing. Sora just knows it. The brunet groans. How did he even find himself in this mess? He should've been more cautious. Going to the music room was a mistake. Now he's stuck in here with Kairi of all people. It's not like he hates the girl. No, in fact, it's quite the opposite. He loves her, but she doesn't even remember him. That's the problem.

He sighs.

Kairi looks up from her phone.

"Something wrong?"

"No, just bored," he lies.

"Same. Do you wanna talk about anything?"

"Not particularly."

"How about a game then?" She smiles and for a second he can't breathe.

"Tic-tac-toe."

"Huh?" Kairi tilts her head to the side.

"Let's play tic-tac-toe."

It's a favorite of hers. Or, it used to be. He doesn't know anymore.

Ten games later, they're tied.

Sora smirks as he watches Kairi. He's got this in the bag.

"I won!" Kairi yells, jumping up and dancing.

Sora looks at her and then the paper. Twice. How? He was so sure he had this one. Figures he'd lose.

"Not fair," Sora whines.

Kairi sticks out her tongue. "Ha! Glad I wiped that smug look off your face."

"Rematch?"

"Uh, no. I won fair and square."

"Fine. He crosses his arms. "You win. But next time? I'm gonna cream you."

Kairi stops her dancing. Somehow those words sound familiar. Then again, everything's familiar with Sora.

She thinks back to the week before. The notebook. She'd almost forgotten. Then again, she wanted to forget.

"Kairi, you okay?"

"Yeah." She nods.

"You sure?" He raises an eyebrow.

"I'm fine, Sora."

"Promise?" He holds out his pinky to her.

She takes it. "Promise."

The two are soon enveloped by awkward silence.

Sora clears his throat. "So, when do you think they'll let us out of here?"

She shrugs.

"Do you know of any other pastimes?"

"We could tell each other stories."

She used to write, he thinks. He hasn't seen her write all that much anymore.

"Real or fake?" he asks.

"Doesn't matter."

"Why don't you start? It was your idea anyway."

"What?" A blush rises to her cheeks. "You go first."

Sora relents because of the look she gives him. It's a cute pout. One she used to use on him all the time.

"Okay, okay." He laughs and it sounds like music to her ears. Kairi scoots closer to Sora.

"When I was younger I met this girl in dance."

"You dance?"

"I used to. Anyway, back to the story. The girl was a crybaby. Didn't - wouldn't dance with anyone. Five-year-old me was determined to be her friend. I tried everything. Said 'hi' to her during the beginning of class, hung around her during breaks. I even gave her a seashell because I heard she liked them.

"She slowly started opening up to me. The teacher decided it would be best to pair us together for this one dance. It required a partner. Everything was going fine until the night of the recital. She sobbed uncontrollably and all I could do was hug her. I managed to calm her down and soon it was time to go on. I had to hold her hand the entire time lest she start crying again. All the parents teased us about how cute a couple we were. It was embarrassing. The teasing didn't stop until a year went by."

Kairi giggles.

"Ahh. Young love."

"Not you too!"

"It's a really cute story."

"Your turn."

"Okay, uh, let's see." She thinks for a moment. "Oh! So, as a little kid I was really into superheroes. I had these three action figures I loved dearly. Well, one day in the car, I was playing with my favorite one when my friend, Selphie, tried taking it from me. Still don't know why exactly.

"I had the body and she had the head. Needless to say, she popped the head off. I cried the whole way home. After getting home, I put the action figure under a pile of dirty laundry and surrounded him with action figures and barbie dolls. It was a great funeral service if I do say so myself. After that I buried him in the backyard."

Sora snorted. "Very emotional."

"I know."

The door opened, revealing a teacher.

"What are you two still doing here? School's over."

"Guess they forgot about us," Kairi mumbles.

"What?" the teacher asks.

"She says we were practicing."

"Oh. Well, in that case stay as long as you like." She keeps the door open and leaves much to Sora and Kairi's relief.

"Nice save."

"Thanks."

* * *

_It's been a week since the accident. You really don't remember me, do you, Kairi? Sometimes I want to give up, but then again, I've never given up on you before. I'll keep trying. That's what you'd want, isn't it? I'm not much of a writer but Riku said it might be good for me to write down my feelings and I'm starting to think he's right. I feel sad. And angry. Definitely angry. Not at you, of course. It wasn't your fault. Don't let anyone ever tell you it was, you hear me?_

_I just really care about you, okay? I love you, but it pains me to see you like this. So confused and lost. It's disheartening, but I'll never ever give up on you, Kairi. I promise._

_-Sora_


	4. three - a look into the past

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**_

_three - a look into the past_

Sora and Kairi fall into a rhythm. It's easy with Sora. Go to the music room. Play the piano and sing. Mess around for a bit. Then go home. Sora always walks her home. Says it's because he's a gentleman. She laughs when he says this and calls him her knight jokingly. Again, it's easy with Sora. She forgets about the memory loss, about who she might've been, about everything. Kairi shouldn't be surprised when Selphie asks because really, it's _Selphie_.

"Are you and Sora dating?" It's an almost harmless inquiry.

"What? No! Why?" She's a flustered mess at this point, her face turning nearly as red as her hair.

"Really?" Selphie whines. "I always see you two together. He even walks you home! Wakka and Tidus have never done that for me."

"Tidus has a girlfriend, remember?" Kairi reminds her.

"Yeah, I know. She's my sister." Selphie pouts.

"Do you like him?"

The brunette sighs. "No, it's just that he spends all his time with Yuna now. Wakka's great and all, but there's only so much we can do together as a pair."

"Shouldn't you two being studying? It's called study hall for a reason." Olette plops down next to them. "Anyways, finals are coming up soon. I'm trying to ace my history final."

"Hello, sister," Selphie greets.

Kairi smiles at the two of them. Yuna, Olette, and Selphie were all sisters. Yuna being the oldest of the three triplets. Aerith Gainsbourough was their mother, a sweet lady who always has a plate of cookies waiting whenever Kairi comes by. Kairi didn't really know who their father was, but judging by Yuna's one blue eye, she guesses he also had blue eyes. She doesn't feel it's all that important either so she never asks.

"Olette, I'm sure you'll do fine," Kairi reassures. "You'll totally ace it. You always do."

"Thanks. What were you guys talking about anyways?"

"Boys," Selphie replies, flipping through her magazine. "Kairi's unofficially official with a boy named Sora."

"Selphie! I am not -"

"Sora, huh? Hayner's friends with him." Olette sighs. "You know what Hayner said to me yesterday? He said, "You're a good friend." A good friend! When will he notice I want to be _more_ than friends?"

"Just ask him out," Kairi says. "The worst that could happen is he rejects you."

"Yeah, and then it becomes awkward, we eventually stop talking, and I end up alone with thirty cats. Kairi, how do you make it look so easy?" Olette puts her head down.

"Huh?"

"She means you and Sora, silly! It's so obvious he likes you."

"He doesn't like me, Sel. We're just friends."

"Mm-hm. I'll believe it when I see it."

"That's enough you two. We should get to work," Olette interjects.

"You ladies talking about me?"

Olette groans and thunks her head on the table.

"Hey, Riku." Kairi waves to him. "What have you been up to?"

"Not studying like you nerds."

"How do you even get the marks you do with an attitude like that?" Olette asks.

"I'm just naturally gifted." Cue hair flip. "Anyway, Sora was looking for you, Kairi."

Olette and Selphie share a look. Kairi suppresses a groan and gets up. She slings her bag over her shoulder. "Where is that idiot and what does he want?"

"You." Kairi swears her jaw drops to the floor. "Kidding. Kidding." (Riku is not kidding, but Kairi doesn't need to know that. Seriously, Sora's loved her since they were kids.) "He should be on the rooftop. I don't know why he's looking for you though."

"Bye Olette. Selphie." She stops. "Oh! And Riku?" He looks at her. "You're not as sexy as you think."

"Bye!" the girls say in unison.

* * *

"We gotta stop meeting like this."

Kairi gives him a playful shove and sits down. "What'd you need me for? Come to confess your undying love?"

"Did Riku tell you that?"

"Worse. He said you wanted me."

Sora chokes on his sandwich. "He said that? I'm gonna have to prank him. Big time."

"Can I help?"

"Of course."

"What did you need me for anyway?"

He sits down next to her and begins rummaging through his bag. A happy noise escapes his lips as he pulls something out. "This." He hands her a notebook sheepishly. It's a swirl of red, blue, purple,yellow, and pink. She traces the outline of paopu fruit on the cover and smiles. She meets his eyes with a question. "It's your birthday soon, right? Think of it as an early birthday present."

"Thank you. It's wonderful. You know, Sora, sometimes you feel familiar. I don't know why."

"Familiar, how?" She couldn't help but notice how happy he sounded at her words.

"It's like you're an old friend or something." She almost laughs at that revelation, but given the look on Sora's face, she thinks better of it.

"Hmm. That's interesting." Nothing is said after that.

The two watch the sky until the bell rings.

* * *

Kairi looks at her old notebook. The one where she found a picture of her and Sora. Should she look in it? She might regret it. The girl stares at it for five minutes before flipping it open.

"Screw it. I want answers now. How do I even know Sora? Let's start from the beginning." She thinks about the first entry. "Well, almost the beginning."

_January 01_

_Love is great. Even though Naminé swears up and down it's a crush, I know it isn't. I love him. Seifer is so wonderful and strong. Siiigghh. If only he would notice me. Then we could start going on dates and kissing. I haven't even had my first kiss yet and I just turned thirteen! (I'm a teenager now. Woo!) Hopefully it happens soon and with Seifer. He's such a great guy._

_I'm gonna try and write in this once a week if I can. I was going to say everyday, but Mom says if I do that then I'll just end up filling the journal up too soon and no one wants that. Anyway, today is New Year if you couldn't tell by the date. Sora and Riku were both complaining about school starting on the 7th, but I don't think it'll be that bad. At least I'll get to see Seifer._

_Who are Sora and Riku? They're my best friends in the entire world. We do everything together. I met Sora in dance and -_

Wait. The crybaby he was talking about was her? She laughs in disbelief and keeps reading.

_\- Riku during preschool. Naminé has a crush on him, but she swore me to secrecy so the only person I'm telling is you, an inanimate object. She says his eyes are dreamy and that his hair is gorgeous. Honestly, I don't know what she sees in him. He's just plain ol' Riku to me. Then again, we've been friends since childhood. Hopefully Selphie doesn't find this and spill the beans to Riku._

_Y'know now that I think about it, I used to have a crush on Sora, but I moved on to Seifer once I figured we would never get together since we've been best friends for so long. I think it's called the Westermarck effect or something._

_Love always,_

_Kairi_

She used to have a crush on Sora? When? She looks for her other notebooks, picking up a green one and flipping to a random page and by luck she finds something.

_February 07_

_I luv Sora. hes so hot._

_we're gunna get maried one day. not kidding. _

_SoraxKairi 4eva!_

_Feeling: hapy!_

Below is a crude drawing of her and Sora kissing.

She could not spell as a young child. How old was she when she wrote this anyway? She looked at the date. Ten? Jeez. Ten-year-olds should have better spelling than she did at that age. Kairi laughs nonetheless and flips through the journal until she finds something that piques her interest.

It read: _Super Kairi and Her Freinds!_

Her face went pale. Of all the things she remembers it had to be this. She reads the first paragraph despite her better judgement.

_Boom! Boom! Kiari - _How do you spell your own name wrong? _\- blasts one of the bad guys back. She smiels and flies over. "It's over for you Elmo!"_

She stops reading after that because she can't. She just can't with herself. Suddenly, she remembers hating Elmo as a child and a flood of memories come into view, but this is different from a memory rush. It's not painful. It feels more like walking down memory lane and for once, she doesn't mind.

* * *

**A/N: So, that's chapter three! I was cracking up writing the journal entries. I almost put SoraxKairi7 as a joke, but decided not to. Fun fact: February 7th is my birthday. I'm tempted to make this story simply journal entries. Don't forget to review!**

**Originally, musicbox**


	5. four - memory

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts._**

_four - memory_

"You're not the same."

"Shit, Mom. I have amnesia. Do you know how much it hurts to hear that? You act like I don't want to be the me I was before. Well, guess what? Even if I did have all my memories I still wouldn't be the same person because people change. They mature and grow and you need to stop holding out on some idea that if or when I get my memory back I'll be the same girl I was before because it won't happen."

"That's not what I meant -"

"No, that's exactly what you meant!"

"Kairi, please. Don't do this. Your birthday's in two days."

"Then why'd you say it?" Her voice cracks.

Tifa Lockhart is silent.

"Well? What's your excuse?" she demands.

"You aren't as happy as you were. I don't know if it's the trauma, memory loss, or both. All I want is for you to be happy."

"I am happy."

"Are you? You can hide and say that from behind your friends because happy people usually have friends," she states. "But I see it in your eyes, Kairi."

"Then why won't you tell me what happened?"

"I want to tell you about the accident - give you details - but I don't think I can right now. You're not ready."

"Mom, it happened when I was thirteen. If not now, then when will I be ready?"

"When you acknowledge the truth."

Kairi stares at her mom and scoffs. She knows she can't leave this argument on a bad note as much as she'd like to because that's not what Lockharts did, so instead she says, "I love you, Mom. I'm sorry. It's just … I'm frustrated." She can feel the tears threaten to fall.

She clenches her fists and wills herself not to. Crying reminds her of something. Well, maybe not remind, per say, but more her heart remembers something. There was a saying she'd heard once pertaining to it.

"I'm sorry too. You know I love you, right?"

The redhead nods.

Kairi tries to dodge the hug because she knows the sheer force of her mom's hugs.

She isn't able too, as always.

* * *

Kairi feels the cool night air brush against her skin and smiles. It's five in the morning. She plays with the straps on her backpack, takes a deep breath, and proceeds towards her boat.

She's a girl. It's five in the morning. There is a possibility this will end badly, but she can't sleep damnit. It's a good thing she doesn't have to go to school with it being the first official day of break and all. Convenient, huh?

Still, her heart thunders as she sees the first streaks of dawn appear. It's only her, the journal Sora gifted her, and the water. She takes her time. This reminds her of when she, Sora, and Riku would get up before the sun rang high in sky and -

What.

What. Whatthehell? Whatisshetalkingabout?

She almost stops and dismisses the thought, but she knew Sora once, didn't she? Kairi denied it before. Vehemently, at that. But … the pictures and diary entries say otherwise. Why is she denying them in the first place?

And why is she suddenly remembering?

Kairi reaches the shore of the small island and sits in the boat. What else does she remember?

…

…

…

Nothing.

Her, Sora, and Riku would - they would what?

She spots a purple seashell and smiles.

Oh.

_OHHH._

Kairi would read or pick up seashells. (She suddenly has the urge to go back home and look through all her boxes for them.) And Riku and Sora would race or play fight. Naminé would join them at times. Sit next to her. Talk. Draw. Draw stick figures in the sand. Sora and Riku would join them for a stick figure contest.

She steps out of the boat, bag in hand and heads toward the shoreline.

Kairi picks up the seashell and examines it. It's plain, but nostalgic. She pockets it.

Kairi takes out her journal, hands trembling because what is she supposed to do with this? She can't throw it into the sea. Write, she thinks. But write what? A story?

She could start with a story. Her eyebrow quirks up. No. That's not what she wants to do.

The girl looks down to see a pencil she didn't even realize she was holding. Weird. She must of taken it out her bag while thinking.

No one is going to read this anyway, right? A nervous giggle escapes her lips. Her hands shake and she squeezes her eyes tight. Why is this freaking her out? She's a great writer! She can whip up decent essays. She can tell stories. This isn't a big deal. It's just writing.

Her breathing becomes unsteady.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

"**Why would I ever like you?"**

It's okay.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

"**I can't believe you would even give me this letter."**

**Her writing is torn to shreds and she sobs while he laughs. They all laugh.**

Kairi opens her eyes and furiously wipes her tears away. No. Fuck that. Crying over a bad memory isn't going to get her anywhere.

She writes the date.

_December 14th_

She furrows her eyebrows. Wait. Was that another memory before the accident? She deduces it must have been Seifer. The prick.

_Sora gave me this. But that's not what this entry is about. It's about someone , two people to be exact._

_I am so sick of this_  
_"You're not the same. Where did your happier days go?"_  
_They flew away the day my heart was ripped to shreds_  
_It's simple_  
_And juvenile because it shouldn't hurt_  
_A broken heart is nothing_  
_Should mean nothing_  
_But here we are_  
_What can't you see about that?_  
_I was thirteen and I still remember the way you shred my letter for you to pieces_  
_But it isn't only you I'm angry with_  
_What do you want from me?_  
_You want someone happy_  
_But maybe I was pretending_  
_I say this because upon waking up_  
_I only saw darkness,_  
_Its tendrils snaked around my heart_  
_How can I be the same when I can't recall those happier days and my heart is in a haze?_

_Wow. This is trash. Good thing no one will see it._

_Love always,_

_Kairi_

—

"Kairi, what are you doing? It's chilly out here."

She's on the ground, using the sand as her bed.

"Let me live my life, Riku."

She feels a blanket fall over her body.

"_Rikuuu_," she whines. "I don't want a blanket."

"Someone's grumpy." He sits down next to her, chuckling. She catches a glimpse of a twinkle in his eye. Kairi yanks the blanket off of her, trying to hand it back to Riku unsuccessfully.

"Just take it," he says. "You get cold easily."

The redhead sits up. "I'm. Not. Cold."

She hears a laugh and whips her head around to see Sora, amused by her and Riku's interaction.

"Why are you two like this?" he asks, smiling.

Kairi quirks her eyebrow up, but doesn't say anything because she's never seen smile so genuinely.

"Hey, I was trying to be nice. Kairi, over here, is the one being difficult."

"I don't need you to baby me, Riku!"

The person in question shakes his head and laughs.

Sora walks over and sighs. "Kairi, you have sand in your hair."

"It's fine. I'm making a statement."

He sits behind her and for a second she wonders what he's about to do when she feels his hands comb through her hair. She almost protests, but stops herself as she likes the way it feels.

She bites her lip. Should she tell them? Would it be wise? It's only two memories and she needs to work out what exactly happened. She still doesn't know what caused the memory loss and from the conversations she's heard, no one was with her at that time. But wait. If no one was with her, how did Mom know what happened? Something isn't adding up.

"Thinking about something?" Riku asks.

"It's nothing."

"Really? Because you scrunch your nose and squint your eyes when you think."

"It's true," Sora chimes in.

Should she tell them? Would that be wise? They could help her, right? Then, why was she so scared? What if they got too excited or ... or ... What's stopping her?

"I," she starts."I've never told anyone this before but sometimes I see flashes of memories from before the accident. Usually they make my head hurt, but recently they've stopped doing that."

The two boys are silent.

Riku's the first to reply. "That must suck. Having your head hurt when you remember something." He scoots closer to her and Sora.

Sora's voice is uncharacteristically soft. "What do you remember?"

"Well, um." She sighs. "I saw a purple seashell after I got here and it reminded me of how we would play together. Naminé joined us sometimes, right?"

They nod.

"Anything else?" Riku prods. "It's okay if you don't want to say."

"Just a bad memory that I wish never resurfaced." She doesn't elaborate.

Sora's stopped combing through her hair at this point. "You don't have to go through this process alone."

"Yeah, but sometimes I don't want to remember because what if it's all bad? What if I did something really embarrassing?"

"Kairi," Riku says, leveling with her, "we all do stupid shit. I still do stupid shit. Like, last week, I made a complete fool out of myself in front of this girl named Shiki. I couldn't even form a coherent sentence. The fact that you were thirteen when the accident happened means you were in your cringy middle school phase. I remember Sora -"

Sora groans. "No, don't tell her."

"Will you?"

"I _guess_."

She looks between them.

"I didn't know what a bra was. I thought it was a slingshot." Kairi lets out a giggle. He groans again. "Don't ask me how, but I acquired some bras and flung some at Wakka and Tidus in the cafeteria. People referred to me as 'The Booby Slinger' for the rest of the year."

"The fact that you tell us not to ask how you got the bras sounds shady," Kairi says, recovering from the giggles.

"It does sound shady," Riku agrees. "The point is, we all do embarrassing stuff. If it's something traumatic, well shit. I don't know how to deal with trauma, but I can try to help. You'll help too, right, Sora?"

"Right. We're in this together."

"Alright. Thanks, you two." She pauses. "I thought you'd be more shocked about me remembering you."

"Disappointed?" Kairi shakes her head. "You did mention how familiar I was."

"When was this?"

"You weren't there, Riku."

"What, are you two having secret escapades now?"

Kairi shoves Riku.

"We are, actually."

"You two are idiots, I swear."

* * *

**A/N: Honestly, I wasn't expecting to take this direction. I was going to have Kairi regain her memory be more dramatic, but then I was like, "Nahh." Because I would have Sora being mad at her for not telling him and I thought, "It's stupid of him to even be mad in the first place." I don't know what I'll do about the summary now. Oops. **

**Thanks to everyone has reviewed. I had part of this chapter written out, but I didn't know what to write, but then I got a review yesterday and inspiration struck. lol. **

**Tell me what you think of this chapter!**

**Originally, musicbox**


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